Well tester



Jan. 6, '193k M. o. RIFE ETAL v WELL TESTER Filed sept. 19, 19'29 n @wom ,Y .0 ,63 a ma. K rw wf w Patented Jan. 6, 1931 UNITED STATES PATEN'n OFFICE IIERvIN o. RIFE AND WILLIAM r. cArrs, or sIInEvEPon'r, LOUISIANA, AssIGNons To GULF nErINnve COMPANY or LOUISIANA, or snnnvnrom, LOUISIANA, A couronA'rIoN or LOUISIANA l 'WELL TESTER Application led Septemberl, 1929. Serial No. 398,772.

This invention relates to well testing tools designed for the purpose of obtaining tests of sands and mineral strata encountered in drilling oil wells.

When it is desired to obtain tests of sand or other strata the tool is substituted for the ordinary drill bit and lowered into the well hole without the necessity of going through the rather expensive procedure of setting up :lo a special string or casing. Testing tools of this type generally comprise an outer member or housing carrying means for leffecting a'seal at the bottom of the well when used and within such housing there is a longitudinal movable tubular member usually termed a plunger barrel. In obtaining a sample of the sand or other mineral strata, this housing and plunger carried at the lower end of the drill pipe, are lowered into the well and the Sealing member on the exterior of the housing seated on a ledge adjacent the bottom of the well. This seals 0E, so to speak, the lower portion of the well, after which the plunger barrel is manipulated so as to admit thereto some of thesand or mineral Stratato be tested. Previous to the admission of such material, it is necessary that the plunger barrel be sealed against the admission of any material whatever, and after Such material has been admitted, it is necessary that the barrel be again sealed .before being brought to the'surface. In view of this, one object of the invention is to provide an imi proved arrangement for maintaining the plunger barrel in its so-called sealed position until it is desired to permit sand or other material to be tested to enter the same. More articularly, the invention contemplates a housing having an ellipticalbore extending through a portion of its length, the wall of such elliptical bore having shoulders formed thereon on which the plunger barrel is supported by projections carried by said barrel restin on said shoulders. Said projections are a apted to be removed or disengaged from said shouldersXby relative rotation of the barrel and housing, but to avoid or prevent this relative movement of the parts until it is desired to unseal the barrel, said proso jections carry latching devices for releasably larger than the perforations in thehousing,

attachment to the drill movement.

In order that the sand or other material to be tested may have ready access to the barrel in the housing, a portion of'said housing is provided with a plurality of perforations, as is also a portion of the barrel. However, in order to prevent clogging of the perforations in the barrel, those perforations are somewhat so that any particles that may possibly pass through the small perforations in the housing will certainly pass throughthe larger perforations in the barrel, thereby preventing clogging of the latter perforations.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will hereinafter be more fully described and the novel features thereof particularly pointedvout in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the present tool, with parts shown broken away and portions shown in crosssection for the purpose of illustrating the interior of the too Y Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the up er end of the housing with a portion bro en away to more clearly illustrate the interior thereof; v

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the. upper end ofthe housing taken immediately above the barrel supporting shoulders.;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of' the upper 85 portion ofthe plunger barrel illustrating the projections that are adapted to seat on the shoulders inthe housing;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing the latching devices fon .preventing accidental lmovement of -theshoulders andprojections of the housing and barrel; and

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the packing within the housing.-

In accordance with usual practice, the upper end of plunger barrel l is threaded for pipe. This plun r barrel projects into the interior of the tu lar housing 5, the upper end of said barrel 100 being threaded to receive a packing head 3 .of the housing of collars 11 and 13.

The plunger barrel 1 is slidable within housing 5, and its exterior lower portion is formed with a multiplicity of perforations 21, while at its lower end there is a check valve 22 capable of being opened by pressure from within the barrel and adapted to be closed by pressure from without the barrel. At times, it is necessary to so position the perforate portion of barrel 1 with,- in the housing as to prevent sand, fluid, or the like, entering the same. For this purpose, the housing is provided on its interior, a short distance above the perforations, with a series of packing cups 16, that are held in place a ainst a shoulder 30 by the upper end 19 of t e detachable perforated portion of the housing, suitable rings 15 and 18 being interposed etween the cups to maintain them roperly positioned within the housing. hese packing cups are so arranged that the two lower vones are adapted to be pressed against the barrel by pressure from below them, while the upper ring is adapted to be e pressed against the barrel by (pressure from above. As will be understoo the plun r barrel is adapted to be moved longitudinally of the housing until the perforations 21 are positioned between these packing rings and the packing 4 at the upper end of the housing and sa1d barrel is adapted to be held in such position by means of projections 7 formed thereon, resting on shoulders 6, formed in the interior of the imperforate portions of the housing. It will be observed' that while a portion of the housing has a cylindrical bore 31, the upper imperforate portion thereof, in which the perforate portion of the barrel is adapted to be sealed, so to speak, is formed with an elliptical bore to accommodate projections 7 and the barrel may be rotated relatively to the housing to either seat the projections 7 of the shoulders 6, or tounseat the projections'when it is desired to project the perforated portion of the barrel down into the perforate portion of the housing. In order to prevent accidental displacement of projections 7 from the shoulders 6, said projections carry latches for releasably holding them in place. As shown in Fig. 5, these latches may consist of pins 1`0 slidable in suitable holes in the projections, said pins being pressed outwardly by s p ugs 8.I

prings 9 that are held in place by retaining" When placing the tool inthe well for the purpose of obtaining test materials, the plunger barrel, is pulled upward lmtil the projections 7 come into contact with the bottom of packing head 3. The barrel is then turned anti-clockwise so as to position the projections on the shoulders 6 and when the pins 10 come into registrywith the holes 27 in said shoulders, the barrel will be releasably held in this relatively elevated position within the housing. When in this position, the perforations 21 are above the packing cups 13 .and are held in this position until the operator unseats the projections at his will. When in this position, the barrel is sealed, so to speak, by the packing cups 16 and" packing 4 atthe upper end of the housing. The upper end of the plunger barrel 1 is connected to the drill pipe in place of the usual rotary bit and the tool lowered into thewell until packing 12 seats in the top of the rat hole, a smallerhole drilled ahead in the regular bit in the very bottom of the well and forming the ledge heretofore mentioned. This seals thc formation beneath the packing 12 from the mud above the packing 12. Water may be pumped through the drill stern and test tubc at any time desired, the check valve 23 at the lower end of 1 permitting the water to pass. After packing 12 is thus seated, a one-quarter turn of the drill pipe to the right removes projection 7 from shoulders 6 and permits the plunger barrel to drop until said projections rest on the bottom of the elliptical bore in housing 5. This moves perforations 2l below the acking cups 16 and permits the cntrance o? any matter in. liquid or gas form, into the drill stem by way of perforations 20, 21, and the bore of the plunger barrel. After the sample has thus been obtained, an

.u ward tension on the drill pipe raises the p unger barrel until the perforations 21 are above cups 1'6, thus closing the test tube and confining in the drill pipe any matter that may have entered therein.

What I claimv is: v 1. In a well testing tool, the combination of a tubular housing having an elliptical bore extending through a portion thereof, the wall of said elliptical bore being imperforate, a plunger barrel slidable longitudinally of said arrel, and cooperating elements on said barrel and the wall of the imperforate portion of the housing for releasably holding said barrel against longitudinal movement within the housing.

2. In a well testing tool, a tubular housing having an elliptical bore extending through a portion of its length, the wall of said elliptical bore being imperforate, shoulders formed on said wall, a plunger barrel slidable in said housing, and means for supporting said barrel on said shoulders.

3. In a well testing tool, a tubular housing having an elliptical bore extending through a 1,7a7,ssa

portion of its length, the wall of said elliptical bore being imperforate, shoulders formed on said wall, a plunger barrel slidable in said housing, and means for supporting said barrel on said shoulders, said su orting means bein disengageable from said) shoulders by a re ative rotary movement of the housing and barrel;

4. In a well testing tool, a tubular housing having a non-circular bore extending through a portion of its length, shoulders formed on the wall of said bore a plunger barrel slidable in said bore, means for supporting said barrel on said shoulders, said supporting means being disengageable from said shoulders by a relative rotary movement of the housin and barrel, and means for preventing acci ental relative movement of said housing and barrel.

5. In a well testing tool, a tubular housin having a non-circular bore extending throug a portion of its length, shoulders formed on the wall of said bore a plunger barrel slidable in said bore, means for supporting said barrel on said shoulders, ing disengageable from said shoulders by a relative rotary movement of the housing and barrel, recesses in the wall of said housing, and spring pressed pins on said barrel engageable in said recesses for preventing relative rotation of the housin and barrel.

MERVI O. RIFE. WILLIAM P. CAPPS.

said sup orting means be- 

